*According to the Department of Defense Directive 1005.8, the prescribed precedence of military flags is determined by service birthdays. According to the institute of Heraldry, and in keeping with the order in which troops are listed in Department of Defense Directive 1005.8, during peacetime the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. If during wartime, the Coast Guard is called into service under the control of the Department of Defense, then the Coast Guard flag would come before the Air Force flag in order of precedence.

The Merchant Marine, Vietnam Veterans and POW/MIA flags can be displayed following the military flags. There is some latitude in the order of display regarding these three flags. Our government has not officially recognized the Merchant Marines as being a branch of the military (its members are often not givenveteran’s status), but we feel it is appropriate to honor them as a military branch and thus have placed their flag at the end of the military branches.

The Merchant Marines have been in the Revolutionary War, War 0f 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War l, World War ll, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, and Ready Reserve Ships still in Iraq. The American Legion Recognizes the Merchant Marines for membership, depending on when and where they served.